Okanagan Woman Magazine: Jelly Fish Jitters

Day before yesterday, I picked up a magazine called NO KA 'OI Maui because it had a picture of a pretty fish on the cover and sported an eye catching headline that read, 5 Best Snorkel Spots. We’ve snorkeled at the beach in front of our condo because it’s easy access, but we know the island offers far better spots. And we aim to find them.

So, we chose Makena Landing, one of the spots listed in the magazine. To get there, we drove through the palm lined streets of the luxury resort town, Wailea … which reminded me that I still hadn’t checked the lottery ticket purchased before leaving the Okanagan.

Big Beach, November 22, 2013

Makena Landing Beach, November 22, 2013

Makena Landing Beach is not one of long brown sugar sandy beaches like Big Beach, which is a gorgeous area further down the road at Makena State Park. Makena Landing is much smaller and rockier, but the offer of good snorkeling meant there were lots of people on the beach.

Parking is handy and so are washrooms.

We wasted no time getting in the water…. and I wasted no time getting right back out. Call me chicken!

I’d only swum out a few feet when a young boy, around 10 years of age, was stung by a jelly fish. Oh, he was brave, I’ll give him that. There was none of that screaming that would have been heard around the island, had it been me who was stung. I do not handle such things with any kind of decorum.

Some locals offered up first aid, applying the juice from a plant on the beach to the side of the boy’s face, where a nasty rash had appeared. Others pulled beer cans out of their coolers to soothe the sting. Apparently, this was the second incident this morning.

I watched from the beach as Dean carried on his snorkeling adventure. I wanted to go back in; I really did. But I simply couldn’t bring myself to risk it.

Up to this point, I wasn’t concerned about jelly fish, but now it was at the front of my mind so naturally I googled it. According to http://www.to-hawaii.com/maui/beaches/ jelly fish typically arrive 9-12 days after a full moon. Just a few days ago, I snapped some pics of the beautiful full moon from our lanai. Oh oh. Strains of the tune from Little Red Riding Hood fill my mind, “If you go into the woods (I mean water) today, you’re in for a big surprise.”

So thank you, young man at the beach, for taking one for the team. I will keep this jelly fish calendar on my person for the next 7 weeks!

Today, we head (safely) to the swap meet in Kahului, where the only jellyfish I expect to see is in the local art!